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>> Sunday, April 18, 2010

I like to set myself up for little moments of success, or more to the point, straight-out happiness. And it's certainly been a gleeful past few days tasting treats from our local westside patisseries.

All in the name of research, you understand.

Dropped off at Granville Island for three blissful hours on my own, I knew I had enough time to properly stuff myself at La Baguette et l'Echalote, one of the few spots in town to find a proper French baguette by the way. Too overwhelmed by the choices, I took a breather and walked around admiring the mounds of colourful produce at the public market while plotting my next moves.

I ended up deciding on a coffee from perennial favourite JJ Bean followed by a speedy crossover back to the bakery for a mille-feuille. It was the special of the week, but mostly I chose it because it was the type of treat I wouldn't typically gravitate toward, perhaps worrying it was too indulgent. What part of "treat" don't I understand at this age?

I took my pastry outside to the benches encircling the street performers and musicians. The "King of the Ukulele" was playing. Loudly. Not something I'm prone to subject myself to, but I was in my own little sugar bubble. The iced top was sweet enough for me to feel indulged, but the custard and and dense tiers of pastry perfectly balanced it and allowed me to finish it all quite easily.

To bring home, I picked three other treats...

The large cinnamon sticks were nicely flaky with the right amount of cinnamon and sugar.

The grape tart, with its sweet almond and grape, was lovely.

The brightly-coloured macaron was crunchy, foamy and chewy at all once along with a whopping raspberry flavour. So festive!